Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM WITH GASEOUS AND DRY
POWDER FIRE SUPPRESSION AGENTS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to fire extinguishing systems, and more
specifically, to systems and methods for an attitude insensitive high rate
discharge
extinguisher having gaseous and dry powder fire suppression agents.
[0002] Automatic Fire Extinguishing (AFE) systems deploy after a fire or
explosion
event has been detected. In some cases, AFE systems are deployed within a
confined space
such as the crew compartment of a military vehicle following an event. AFE
systems
typically use high speed Infra red (IR) and/or ultra violet (UV) sensors to
detect the early
stages of fire/explosion development. The AFE systems typically include a
cylinder filled
with an extinguishing agent, a fast acting valve and a nozzle, which enables
rapid and
efficient deployment of agent throughout the confined space. Conventional AFE
systems are
mounted upright within the vehicle to enable the entire contents to be
deployed effectively at
the extremes of tilt, roll and temperature experienced within military
vehicles, for example.
In order to maintain system efficacy, the nozzles are located such that they
can provide an
even distribution of the agent within the vehicle. For these types of systems
this requirement
can be met by adding a hose at the valve outlet which extends to the desired
location within
the vehicle. Though effective this measure adds an extra level of system
complexity and
therefore cost.
[0003] Several solutions exist that resolve the problems of a suppressor that
is
required to be mounted upright. For example, a pipe type extinguisher design
can be
mounted at any orientation within a vehicle and still provides an efficacious
discharge of
extinguishing agent against a vehicle fire or explosion challenge. The
extinguisher would
also work were the vehicle to assume any orientation prior to or during the
incident. Rapid
desorption of dissolved nitrogen (or other inert gas) from the fire
extinguishing agent(s)
forming a two phase mixture (e.g., a foam or mousse) substantially fills the
volume within the
extinguisher and causes the discharge of agent from the valve assembly. The
formation of
this two-phase mixture enables the fire extinguishing agent to be adequately
discharged
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regardless of the extinguisher orientation. However, current solutions
including the pipe
design do not fully address attitude insensitive needs of confined spaces that
experience the
extremes of tilt, roll and temperature experienced within military vehicles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Exemplary embodiments include an automatic fire extinguishing system,
including a canister having a central axis, an outlet port disposed on the
canister, a dip tube
disposed in the canister about the central axis and in partial fluid
communication with the
canister and coupled to the outlet port, a propellant gas mixture disposed
within the canister,
a gaseous fire suppression agent disposed in the canister and a dry powder
fire suppression
agent disposed in the canister.
[0005] Additional exemplary embodiments include an automatic fire
extinguishing
system, including a canister having a central axis, an outlet port disposed on
the canister, a
dip tube disposed in the canister about the central axis and in partial fluid
communication
with the canister and coupled to the outlet port, a propellant gas mixture
having a first
propellant gas and a second propellant gas within the canister, a gaseous fire
suppression
agent disposed in the canister and a dry powder fire suppression agent
disposed in the
canister.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly
pointed
out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the
specification. The foregoing
and other features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the
following detailed
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates a first view an automatic fire extinguishing (AFE)
system in
accordance with one embodiment;
[0008] FIG. 2 illustrates a second view an AFE system in accordance with one
embodiment;
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[0009] FIG. 3 illustrates a third view an AFE system in accordance with
one
embodiment;
[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates a fourth view of an AFE system in an open and
fully
activated state; and
[0011] FIG. 5 illustrates a fifth view of an AFE system in an open and
fully activated
state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates an automatic fire extinguishing (AFE) system
100 in
accordance with one embodiment. FIG. 2 illustrates a close up perspective view
of a portion
of the system 100. FIG. 3 illustrates an internal view of the system 100. The
system 100 is
configured to rapidly disperse extinguishing agents within a confined space
such as the crew
compartment of a military vehicle following a fire or explosion event.
[0013] The system 100 includes a canister 105, which can be any suitable
material
such as stainless steel. The canister 105 is configured to receive both
gaseous fire
suppression agents and propellant gases (e.g., inert gases such as N2). It can
be appreciated
that there are many conventional gaseous fire suppression agents are
contemplated including
but not limited to 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane (i.e., HFC-227ea (e.g.,
FM2000)),
bromotrifluoromethane (i.e. BTM (e.g. Halon 1301) and 1,1,1,2,2,4,5,5,5-
nonafluoro-4-
(trifluoromethyl)-3-pentanone (i.e., FK-5.1.12 (e.g., Novec 12300)). In
addition, the canister
105 can include other propellant gas components (e.g., CO2) as further
described herein. The
pressure in the canister 105 can be monitored via a switch 106 from a source
of the gases
(i.e., fire suppression agent and propellant gas). The system 100 further
includes any suitable
nozzle manifold 110 and nozzle 115 for directing and releasing extinguishing
agents and
propellant gas into the confined space. The system 100 further includes a dip
tube 120
disposed within the canister 105. The dip tube 120 is configured to be in
fluid
communication with the canister 105 and the nozzle manifold 110 as further
described herein.
The dip tube 120 includes an internal ring 125 that is coupled to a central
rod 160, which is
disposed in the canister 105 and the dip tube 120 about a central axis 101.
The central rod
160 includes a stop 161 having a radius larger than a radius of the central
rod 160. The dip
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tube 120 includes a number of dip tube side holes 130 disposed around a
circumference of the
dip tube 120. The internal ring 125 convers the dip tube side holes 130 when
the system 100
is in a closed and non-activated state. The dip tube 120 further includes an
inlet port 135
having a number of openings 136, which are covered by a semi-permeable
membrane 137.
In addition, the canister 105 is hermetically sealed from the external
environment. In
addition, the dip tube 120 and the central rod 160 freely allow contents of
the canister 105 to
move around via the semi-permeable membrane 137. The dip tube 120 further
includes a lip
121 having a radius greater than a radius of the internal ring 125. As further
described
herein, the dip tube 120 can include further extinguishing agents such as a
dry powder fire
suppression agent. It can be appreciated the dry powder fire suppression agent
can include
any conventional dry powder fire suppression agent including but not limited
to potassium
bicarbonate (i.e., KHCO3 e.g. PurpleKTM) and a sodium bicarbonate (i.e.,
NaHCO3,
e.g.KiddeXTM) based extinguishing agent with additional silica to enhance the
flow
properties. It can be appreciated that the semi-permeable membrane 137
provides partial
fluid and gaseous communication between the canister 105 and the dip tube 120.
In this way,
the dry powder extinguishing agent remains isolated within the dip tube 120.
However, the
propellant gases within the canister 105 can permeate the semi-permeable
membrane 137 and
keep the dip tube 120 pressurized at the same or substantially the same
pressure as the
canister 105.
[0014] An outlet port 111 is disposed between the canister 105 and the nozzle
manifold 110, and is coupled to the dip tube 120. A broad cutting head 165 is
coupled to
the central rod 160 and positioned adjacent a burst disc 170 and covers the
outlet port 111
when the system 100 is in the closed and non-activated state. The burst disc
170 maintains
hermetically sealed isolation between contents of the canister 105 including
the dip tube 120,
and the nozzle manifold 110. As such, the canister 105 remains pressurized
with respect to
the external environment. The system 100 further includes an electric actuator
150 coupled
to the canister 105. The electric actuator 150 is configured to on actuation
mechanically
couple to the central rod 160 disposed in the canister 105 and the dip tube
120. A mechanical
pin 151 is coupled between the electric actuator 150 and the central rod 160.
A diaphragm
152 hermetically seals the canister 105 from the external environment so that
the compressed
gases within the canister 105 do not escape.
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[0015] In one embodiment, once the system 100 detects a fire or explosion
event as
described herein, the electric actuator 150 is activated, which drives the
mechanical pin 151
through the diaphragm 152. The mechanical pin 151 further drives the central
rod 160.
Driving of the central rod 160 causes shifting of the internal ring 125
because the internal
ring 125 is coupled to the central rod 160. The shifting of the internal ring
125 uncovers the
internal ring 125 from the dip tube side holes 130. In addition, the driving
of the central rod
160 drives the broad cutting head 165 through the burst disc 170. The system
100 then
becomes in an open and activated state. The driving of the central rod 160 is
limited when
the stop 161 contacts the inlet port 135. When the system 100 is in the open
and fully
activated state, the pressurized canister 105 releases the pressurized gases
into the external
environment. The pressure differential between the canister 105 and the
external
environment causes the semi-permeable membrane 137 to fold out of the way,
thereby
exposing the inlet openings 136. When the system 100 is in the open and
activated state, the
canister 105 and the dip tube 120 are in full fluid communication. The dry
powder
extinguishing agent, which is pressurized in the dip tube 120 by the
propellant gases and
isolated from the canister 105, is released to the external environment,
followed by the
remaining propellant gases and the gaseous extinguishing agent, from the
canister 105.
FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the AFE system 100 in the open and fully activated
state.
[0016] As described herein, the inert propellant gases can include N2.
Although
62 bar(g) (900 psig) of nitrogen overpressure, for example, can provide
sufficient suppression
efficiency when the canister 105 is filled with a design concentration of
gaseous fire
suppression agents and dry powder fire suppression agents, suppression
performance and
mass of agents out of the canister 105 can suffer at lower operating
temperatures and varying
attitudes of the canister 105. (e.g., the nozzle 115 facing upwards). In one
embodiment, the
overpressure of the N2 can be increased above 62 bar(g) (900 psig). In
addition, an additional
propellant gas such as CO2 is added to the N2 propellant gas. By increasing
the N2
overpressure and by adding CO2, the extinguishing performance and the total
mass out of
extinguishing agent are both enhanced. For example, a smaller scale experiment
in a
container partially filled with FM200 illustrated that 4.3 g (0.1 mole) of
CO2 is required to
produce a 10 bar(g) overpressure. When the experiment is repeated with
nitrogen only 0.7 g
(0.025 mole) was added to achieve the same pressure. This result shows that
CO2 is
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significantly more soluble in FM200 than N2. By analogy therefore the rate of
desorption of
CO2 from FM200 is significantly greater than for N2 during the discharge of a
suppressor,
such as the system 100. However, above certain limits CO2 is known to be toxic
to humans
(i.e., the OSHA, NIOSH, and ACGIH occupational exposure standards are 0.5 vol%
CO2
averaged over a 40 hour week, 3 vol% average for a short-term (15 minute)
exposure, and 4
vol% as the maximum instantaneous limit considered immediately dangerous to
life and
health). As such, in one embodiment, the system 100 includes an amount of CO2
limited to
give less than 2 vol% within the protected zone, which should cause no harmful
effects to
occupants for the short duration of these types of events. It can be
appreciated that the
addition of CO2 within the N2 propellant gas improves the rate of desorption
of the
pressurising gases from the bulk gaseous fire suppression agent. The violent
reaction forms a
two phase mixture (e.g., a foam or mousse) that substantially fills the volume
of the canister
105 and allows agent to exit when the system 100 is in the open and activated
state. This
feature is the primary mechanism for releasing agent from the canister 105 and
enhances the
mass of agent discharged and suppression performance. In addition, by adding a
portion of
CO2, the overall extinguishing performance (i.e. heat capacity) of the fire
suppression agents
is increased by a small amount. In one embodiment, since the CO2 is more
soluble in the
gaseous fire suppression agent than N2, the gaseous fire suppression agent is
first added to the
canister 105, followed by the CO2, then the N2. In one embodiment, up to 20
bar(g) (290
psig) of the CO2 is added followed by the overpressure of up to 62 bar(g) (900
psig).
Although the addition of CO2 mixed with N2 within the canister 105 filled with
a combination
of gaseous fire suppression agents and dry powder fire suppression agents has
been
described, it can be appreciated that other inert gases and
volatile/vaporising liquid
extinguishing agents (e.g. an extinguishing agent which contains a portion of
liquid and gas
when stored) is also contemplated in other embodiments. Some examples of other
inert gases
used to pressurise high rate discharge type extinguishers include but are not
limited to
helium, argon and Argonite . It is possible that air could also be used as the
pressurising gas.
Other extinguishing agents can include but are not limited to Halon 1301,
Halon 1211, FE36,
FE25, FE13and PFC410 and Novec 1230.
[0017] In one embodiment, dimensions of the outlet port 111 can be varied. In
the
confined spaces described herein, certain parameters are set in order to meet
requirements of
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the confined space. For example, the addition of CO2 and increase in charge
pressure as
mentioned as described herein results in enhanced suppression performance and
a higher
mass of agent discharged. However, certain limits of the confined space (e.g.,
peak sound
levels tolerable by humans) can be surpassed. In one embodiment, the diameter
of the outlet
port 111 can be adjusted while maintaining suppression performance. For
example, when the
canister 105 is filled with a recommended design amount of gaseous fire
suppression agent
and dry powder fire suppression agent, and partially pressurised to 15 bar(g)
(218 psig) with
CO2 and then fully pressurised to 76 bar(g) (1100 psig) with N2, adequate
suppression
capabilities are met with an outlet port 111 size of 38 -40 mm. If the outlet
port was smaller
than the agent mass flow rate and therefore suppression performance fell below
acceptable
limits. If the outlet port size is larger, one or more of the confined space
limits would be
overcome (i.e. suppressor became too loud or too much impact force from the
extinguishing
agent). In one embodiment, a relationship between the outlet port 111 size and
the gaseous
and dry powder fire suppression agents can vary. For example, for a 62 bar(g)
(900 psig),
filled with N2 only, a sufficient outlet port 111 size is 50 - 55 mm diameter.
This relationship
can change depending on the extinguishing agents and pressurising gases used
plus the
overpressure used. In one embodiment, the system 100 is a high rate discharge
(HRD) type
extinguisher that implements inert propelling gas as the primary mechanism for
discharging
the agent from the canister 105.
[0018] As described herein, in one embodiment, the canister 105 can include a
gaseous fire suppression agent and propellant gases. In addition, the dip tube
120 can include
a dry powder fire suppression agent. In this way, the dip tube 120 ensures
delivery of a dry
powder fire suppression agent at the early stages of the discharge regardless
of the orientation
of the system 100, thereby providing the attitude insensitive features of the
system 100. As
shown in FIGS. 1-3, the dip tube 120 holds the dry powder fire suppression
agent close to the
outlet port 111 regardless of the orientation (i.e., attitude) of the system
100. As described
herein, the semi-permeable membrane 137 enable the mixture of the propellant
gas(es) (e.g.,
the CO2 and the N2) as well as the gaseous fire suppression agent to form
within the
interstices of the dry powder fire suppression agent structure. When the
system is placed into
its open and activated state, the dry powder fire suppression agent is
discharged at the early
stages of the overall extinguisher discharge. The fact that this dry powder
fire suppression
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agent reaches an expanding fireball in the early stages has been shown to both
improve
extinguishing performance and reduce the quantity of acid gas generated. As
described
herein, the dry powder fire suppression agent can include any conventional dry
powder fire
suppression agent, as long as it is chemically compatible with all the other
agents within the
container, including but not limited to potassium bicarbonate (i.e.., KHCO3,
e.g. Purple KTM)
and a sodium bicarbonate (i.e., NaHCO3, e.g. KiddeXTM) based extinguishing
agent with
additional silica to enhance the flow properties.
[0019] As described herein, in one embodiment, the dip tube 120 can be
customized
to provide adequate attitude insensitive delivery of the gaseous fire
suppression agent and the
dry powder fire suppression agent, which can be a particular issue in cold
storage conditions.
As described herein, the dip tube 120 includes a series of dip tube side holes
130 as well as
inlet openings 136. The dip tube side holes 130 are adjacent the inlet port
135 and the inlet
openings 136. In one embodiment, by altering the ratio of areas between the
inlet port 135
(via the inlet openings 136) and dip tube side holes 130 relative to the
outlet port 111 of the
canister 105, the discharge characteristics can be adjusted to provide very
similar properties
regardless of attitude or operating temperature. The adjustments also maintain
adequate
suppression performance and meet confined space requirements. Examples of the
dip tube
120 design are based around an outlet port 111 diameter of 40 mm. For example,
the area of
the inlet openings 136 is 100% of the area of the outlet port 111, and the
area of the dip tube
side holes 130 is further 50% of the area of the outlet port 111. In another
example, the area
of the inlet openings 136 is 50% of the outlet port 111 and the area of the
dip tube side holes
130 is 100% of the area of the outlet port 111. In both examples, the sum of
the areas of the
inlet openings 136 and area of the dip tube side holes 130 is 150% of the area
of the outlet
port 111. It can be appreciated that the dip tube 120 can include no dip tube
side holes 130.
However, an initial discharge of the dry powder fire suppression agent and a
slug of the
gaseous fire suppression agent, which changes from a liquefied state to
gaseous upon
discharge, can result in a reduction in the mass flow rate and density of
agent from the outlet
port 111 whilst the gaseous fire suppression agent still is forming into a two
phase solution
within the canister 105. By including a dip tube with side holes 130 and
controlling the
relative proportions of the areas within the dip tube 120 design, the time
taken to discharge
agent from the canister 105 with two-phase agent is reduced. As a result after
the initial
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discharge of dry chemical from the canister 120 an enhanced mass flow rate of
gaseous
extinguishing agent is maintained whilst the gaseous fire suppression agent
still is forming
into a two phase solution within the canister 105. This less restrictive path
of flow maximises
the mass out of extinguishing agent per unit of pressure decay during the
discharge. As such,
a high degree of attitude insensitivity is displayed by the system 100 even at
the lower
operating temperatures.
[0020] While the invention has been described in detail in connection with
only a
limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the
invention is not
limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified
to incorporate
any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent
arrangements not heretofore
described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the
invention.
Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention have been described,
it is to be
understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the
described
embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the
foregoing
description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.
